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Expats and tourists in Vietnam evacuated during deadly typhoon
| Published: | 6 Nov at 6 PM |
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Tagged: South Africa, China
Typhoon Darney, the fiercest typhoon to hit Vietnam’s coastline in 16 years, is causing chaos for residents, tourists and expats in the affected areas.
The typhoon's landfall along the southern Vietnamese coastline has killed at least 27 people, destroyed many hundreds of homes and caused evacuations from coastal towns popular with expats as well as tourists. It’s estimated a further 40,000 homes have been damaged, with Nha Trang and its surrounding communities the worst hit. Power is down in many districts and the threat of mudslides and flooding is still very real as the storm heads through Vietnam’s interior and across Laos’s mountainous border.
Areas affected extend from Hue in the north through Da Nang to Qui Nhon further south. Holidaymakers and expat residents in popular Hoi An were given just 15 minutes to evacuate before the typhoon hit. Many hotels and beachside properties were flooded, with rescuers in boats seen heading into submerged lobbies and lounges before being forced to swim stranded tourists out one by one. The flood threat is continuing, with at least another five to 10 inches of rain excepted to fall on Monday.
Snai Patel, a British expat living in the affected area told the media his town was rocked by gusts of125 mph and more, with trees uprooted, boats crushed and roofs flying in all directions. Until last month, Patel had lived in the central area, but had moved to the military area where, he said, there seemed to be less damage. He added many people have lost everything.
According to the Vietnamese government, six ships went down in the South China Sea, along with some 61 workers and passengers. Some 35,000 villagers were evacuated to safety by the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority before the typhoon hit. The city of Danang is due to play host to November 10th’s Asia-Pacific Economic Area summit, with regional leaders expected to attend along with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Chinese premier Xi Jinping.
The typhoon's landfall along the southern Vietnamese coastline has killed at least 27 people, destroyed many hundreds of homes and caused evacuations from coastal towns popular with expats as well as tourists. It’s estimated a further 40,000 homes have been damaged, with Nha Trang and its surrounding communities the worst hit. Power is down in many districts and the threat of mudslides and flooding is still very real as the storm heads through Vietnam’s interior and across Laos’s mountainous border.
Areas affected extend from Hue in the north through Da Nang to Qui Nhon further south. Holidaymakers and expat residents in popular Hoi An were given just 15 minutes to evacuate before the typhoon hit. Many hotels and beachside properties were flooded, with rescuers in boats seen heading into submerged lobbies and lounges before being forced to swim stranded tourists out one by one. The flood threat is continuing, with at least another five to 10 inches of rain excepted to fall on Monday.
Snai Patel, a British expat living in the affected area told the media his town was rocked by gusts of125 mph and more, with trees uprooted, boats crushed and roofs flying in all directions. Until last month, Patel had lived in the central area, but had moved to the military area where, he said, there seemed to be less damage. He added many people have lost everything.
According to the Vietnamese government, six ships went down in the South China Sea, along with some 61 workers and passengers. Some 35,000 villagers were evacuated to safety by the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority before the typhoon hit. The city of Danang is due to play host to November 10th’s Asia-Pacific Economic Area summit, with regional leaders expected to attend along with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Chinese premier Xi Jinping.
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